synnet | un: forgery; (posted 5-10).

This is Muramasa.

Just before we left last month, I was given leave to keep a smithy on the premises of the base in Kyoto. It's functional now, so the lot of you using blades from our employer need to come have a proper edge put on them. Don't dawdle: you're embarrassing me, walking around like that as it is with those things. Same goes for those of you with personal blades that need upkeep.

[ now, time for the announcement of the grand opening of peepaw's sword emporium. Sort of. ]

Now, if you just want a proper blade of your own for our work here, and I've got a finished one on hand, you can have it if you pay me back for those materials. (Don't do anything stupid with it — they're swords, not toys.) Or, if katana ain't your style and you want something special, or you'd like a matching set, I can do that too. I'll have to test ya so I can see what suits you, plus I'll be charging you for materials and time away from my own work, but it's a properly forged sword made by a master, and you can't beat that price these days.

[ nobody would be so shifty as to start selling those swords on an underground, black market, right? definitely not. ]

And before I forget—Kuzunoha, Laios. You two come see me at the smithy when you're free, regarding the work we talked about before.

[ He already talked to you boys about blades, so you're exempt from this decree about payment... but only once.

And lastly, but most importantly: ]

... Tsurumaru-dono, please feel free to come visit as well. I'd like to see how you're holding up, now that there's a proper forge to work in.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

that's the idea
we'll need to authenticate it -- there's probably a few experts around that'll be happy to do the job with a little bonus on top for indulging us
but providence might be more difficult to come by if they're requiring it

and once we get those it's straight to marketing and publicity before the auction

How impure does the iron need to be? Could we use a poorer grade? I can probably find runoff if necessary.

Though we could dip into the forgeries and see how they do it, to make it look exact.

I suspect your signature is the hard part.

For iron, the older you can find, the better. I can melt down things myself and test the sheen. Ideally, we'd get some ironsand from somewhere in Ise, but as long as it ends up as something close to the right shade of blue—like the sea in the morning before a thunderhead rolls in—I don't see why anyone else would know the difference these days just because I do. It's been, what, seven hundred years or so since their Muramasa was alive? I'll have to go to Kuwana anyway, to get some things for the flux, too.

As for provenance... Who's to say a private collection wasn't abandoned and then found here in Kyoto? It's the old capital, and there's plenty of reason someone here'd be hiding my blades once they were on the shitlist with the Tokugawa. Maybe they hated the shogun enough to keep my whole signature intact in the mei. You'll have to see what else is selling, but I bet nobody has a signed first generation Muramasa on hand. Those got worn down or confiscated first.

It's a good story, once we can work easily into a great tale that'll have people salivating and eager to witness such a blade. Any chance we can scrounge up some other minor, smaller artifacts around the same time? I'm willing to pay for one or two if we keep them under the table -- it'll add to the story if we say they were part of the stash. Some moth-eaten cloth or part of a box

I'll let you two worry yourselves about the sword and the finer, shadier details. Making deals is what I'm good at, and no offence but neither of you seem like the sort of men to understand what goes into a good presentation of a highly valuable item in places that aren't a back alley. Or a forge

What, you think I cannot deal with those with more money than sense? You would be surprised.

[ But he doesn't like to so ]

Can't we just bulk-buy a bunch of garbage old swords? Ones without some of that provenance that's so important? I know there's plenty of that stuff lying around in some of these gangs' warehouses.

[ In the main room of the forge, Muramasa laughs out loud at Aventurine's (accurate) indictment of his abilities as a salesman. Look at his own post trying to get other Outsiders to use his blades: there's a an unpaid intern doing all the advertising for him. ]

I ain't gonna say no to materials, but won't that make people suspicious or something? Like when a lord starts buyin' up all the rice because he knows there's war coming 'cause he's the one starting—

Ah, wait, actually. An older shirasaya and set of fittings would sell the story better than new ones I make myself... so if you can find something that ain't too flashy, I can make them fit and hide the fact if they end up coming from a reluctant source. [ read: i don't care if you steal babe especially if its the yakuza. don't want your shit stole? get good. ] All the gaudy koshirae are after my time, anyway. Everything gets flashy in peacetime.

Please, don't insult me. I know how to buy in bulk and hide it. There are plenty of shell corporations, shipping companies, warehouses, and intermediaries that can hide that. I've been in smuggling since I was a boy.

[ Well. Hey, at least he's good at what he does? ]

I'm sure I can find some of that, as well. Easily. People are always trying to offload goods for their own comfort. Especially when they are seemingly worthless to them.

That depends, can you deal with them while making sure they don't know you think of them as having more money than sense?

But good, it sounds like you two can hash out the details of what you need just fine. If you need money, let me know. We stand to gain far more back than I could possibly spend prepping for this

I've been fleecing topsiders with more money than sense since I was old enough to understand the concept, boy. Don't worry about that. Do you know how much money I have hidden away in the books I keep?

[ Hey, he's a career criminal! A professional! ]

I'll make sure to give you the bill, then. Don't worry, I'll use it responsibly.

I don't doubt that, but there's a difference between robbing them of their money and making them think you're one of them. Though now you have me interested in those books of yours!

( look he's just saying that silco doesn't seem like a people person! )

Excellent. I look forward to working with you! Both of you!

[ Aventurine writes this while sitting across from Muramasa, who can see him wrapped up in his pile of blankets. The old man says nothing, just sips his drink as he watches the words jump across his sight. ]

It's settled, then. Once I've got the materials all in hand, you'll get your masterwork.

[ Congratulations, Silco. You are now Muramasa's responsibility until this job is done. ]

Edited 2025-05-23 16:24 (UTC)

un: forgery; (posted 5-10).

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i wrote this on my phone. this is my gay crash out (over swords)

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🎀